Best of · Dishes & flavours
The Best Moroccan Sweets to Try in Marrakech
Moroccan sweets are built on almond, honey, sesame and orange-blossom, and the best are made by hand with a patience that shows. From delicate gazelle horns to sticky chebakia, there is a whole tea-table world to explore. Here are the sweets most worth seeking out in Marrakech, what makes each special, and how to buy the good stuff.
- Read
- 8 min
- Topic
- Dishes & flavours
- Updated
- 20 July 2026
The short answer
The short answer
The best Moroccan sweets to try in Marrakech are kaab el ghazal (gazelle horns), chebakia, ghriba, briouat and sellou. Buy from a busy patisserie or a market stall with high turnover for freshness, and taste them the traditional way — with a glass of mint tea.
At a glance
- Almond, honey, sesame and orange-blossom are the core flavours.
- Gazelle horns and chebakia are the two essential sweets.
- Buy where turnover is high for freshness.
- Sweets are made to be eaten with mint tea.
What makes a Moroccan sweet the best
Hand-made and fresh
The finest sweets are shaped by hand and eaten within days. A busy patisserie or market stall with high turnover means fresh, fragrant pastries rather than stale, sugar-dusted display pieces.
Real almond, not filler
Many classics live or die on their almond paste. The best use generous, finely ground almond and true orange-blossom water; cheaper versions cut corners with semolina and artificial flavour.
Balanced, not just sweet
Good Moroccan sweets balance honey and sugar against sesame, spice and nut. Chebakia should be fragrant and crisp-then-chewy, not cloying; ghriba should crumble, not merely dissolve into sweetness.
Served with tea
These sweets were designed for the tea table, and mint tea's bittersweet cut is the perfect foil. Tasting them with a glass of tea is how you understand why they are made the way they are.
The best sweets to seek out
The essential Moroccan sweets, from the elegant to the festive.
Kaab el ghazal (gazelle horns)
Best elegant, must-try classic
Delicate crescents of thin pastry filled with orange-blossom almond paste — the queen of Moroccan sweets. Learn to shape them in a pastry class.
Chebakia
Best sticky, festive sweet
Sesame-coated, flower-shaped pastries fried and soaked in honey, essential to Ramadan and served alongside harira. Make them with our chebakia recipe.
Ghriba
Best everyday cookie
Crumbly, crackle-topped shortbread cookies in almond, coconut or sesame varieties — the biscuit-tin staple of any Moroccan home and tea tray.
Briouat (sweet)
Best crunchy, honey-dipped bite
Crisp warqa triangles filled with almond paste and dipped in honey — the sweet cousin of the savoury briouat. Our briouat recipe covers both.
Sellou / sfouf
Best rich, energy-dense treat
A dense, unbaked blend of toasted flour, almonds, sesame, honey and spices, eaten in spoonfuls — especially around Ramadan. Rich, nutty and unlike anything else on the tray.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Moroccan sweets to try?
Start with kaab el ghazal (gazelle horns) and chebakia — the two essentials — then explore ghriba cookies, sweet briouat and sellou. Between them they cover the elegant, the festive and the everyday sides of Moroccan sweets.
Where should I buy Moroccan sweets in Marrakech?
From a busy patisserie or a market stall with high turnover, where the pastries are freshly made. High turnover is your best guide to freshness — the classics are at their best within a few days of being made.
How are Moroccan sweets traditionally eaten?
With mint tea. The sweets were designed for the tea table, and the tea's bittersweet edge balances the honey and almond. A tray of assorted sweets with a pot of tea is the classic way to serve guests.
Can I learn to make Moroccan sweets?
Yes — a Moroccan pastry class teaches the shaping and fillings hands-on, and many sweets keep for days so you can take a box home. Our pastries guide is a good primer before you go.